New York obelisk : Cleopatra's needle : from Egypt to Central Park /

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THE NEW YORK OBELISK
"CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE"

FROM EGYPT TO CENTRAL PARK

by

GEORGE A. ZABRISKIE

REPRINTED FROM THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
QUARTERLY BULLETIN, OCTOBER 1940

Ex iCtbrtH

SEYMOUR DURST

'When you leave, please leave this book

Because it has been said
"Ever'thing comes t' him who waits

Except a loaned book."

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library

THE NEW YORK OBELISK

"CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE"

FROM EGYPT TO CENTRAL PARK

by

GEORGE A. ZABRISKIE

REPRINTED FROM THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
aUARTERLT BULLETIN/, OCTOBER 1940

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2014

https://archive.org/details/newyorkobeIiskclOOzabr

THE NEW YORK OBELISK

"CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE"

FROM EGYPT TO CENTRAL PARK

DURING the summer ^ve were invited by the Commis-
sioner of Parks, Robert Moses, to place a tablet on the
Obelisk in Central Park so that its story would be readily
available to the public. The four bronze crabs which support
it, one under each corner, are substitutes for the original ones
placed there by the Romans and do tell the main facts, but
they are so high and the inscriptions so difficidt to read that
we accepted without hesitation the invitation of the Commis-
sioner and submitted the following for his consideration.

CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE
"The oldest nation on the globe sends her greeting to her youngest
sister."

This obelisk, now 3,500 years old, was first erected at Heliopolis,
Egypt, in the 16th century B. C. It was removed to Alexandria in the
year 12 B. C. by the Romans. In i86g the Khedive Ismail suggested
its removal to the United States, and in 1880 it was transported to
New York City where it arrived on July 19th. Erected here, it was pre-
sented by the Khedive of Egypt to the City of New York on February
22nd, 1881, through the liberality of the late William H. Vanderbilt.

Tablet placed by The New-York Historical Society, 1940.

The Park Depai iiiicuL has ajiprovccl ihc inscription and the
tablet will be put in place this fall.

It is very fitting that our Society should be selected to ren-
der this service to the City, as we were the first in America
to realize the importance of Egyptian archaeology and the in-
terest it held for students of history.

Our own Egyptian collection is outstanding, is housed, at
the present time, in the Brooklyn Museum where it is beau-
tifully displayed in galleries made especially to accommodate
it and open to the public.

It may not be amiss here to give just a little sketch of obel-
isks and recall the circumstances which brought "Cleopatra's
Needle" to New York. In the first place, many cities of
Ancient Egypt had obelisks. They were a sort of monument
to the Pharaohs, describing their achievements and were gen-
erally placed on either side of the entrance to a temple. The
^vord obelisk means "pointed instrument" and applied to a
"pointed pillar." They are made of one stone — the Washing-
ton Monument being made of many stones, tho' having the
general shajjc of an obelisk, therefore is not one — and only a
comparative few have withstood the ravages of time or the vio-
lence of enemy legions. The greatest number were probably
erected in the old city of Heliopolis, near Cairo, which was
sometimes called the City of Obelisks. Other and very grand
ones too, Avere erected in Thebes, noted for its magnificent
temples and palaces, ^vhere the Pharaohs sojourned much of
the time, and some of these are still standing.

Now, for a fe^v statistics, and for these we are indebted to
the encyclopedias, and to Moldenke's and Gorringe's accounts
of obelisks, particularly the NeA\' York one.'

Obelisks of size were erected from 1500 B. C. to 1200 B. C.
and the first to attempt to transfer them from their original

'Henry H. Gorringe. Egyptian Obelisks (1882): Charles E. Moldenke. The New York
Obelisk (1891).

sites were the Romans. Emperor Augustus carried off two to
Rome and t^vo to Alexandria. Of these latter two, one was
transported to London in 1877-8, u'here it was still standing
on the Thames embankment, the last we knew, and the other
to Central Park, New York, in 1880-1. The total number of
obelisks standing in the world today is perhaps 38.
1 2 in Rome

6 in other parts of Italy

2 in Constantinople

2 in France

2 in Germany

4 in England

1 in New York

9 remaining in Egypt

There are also about a dozen more in Egypt that we know
of, but these are prostrate, including the one still in the quarry
at Assuan. We are not sure if obelisks were inscribed before
or after erection, altho' due to the fact that some now standing
are uninscribed, it "would appear that they were erected before
they were inscribed.

The height of the New York obelisk is 6g feet 6 inches, and
the weight 450,000 pounds. The highest one in Rome is 105
feet 6 inches, and weighs 1,000,000 pounds, and from this they
run down to only a few feet — not much more than headstones.

Egyptians must have been possessed of a very high degree
of engineering skill to quarry them out of the mountain side
and place them many hundreds of miles away, exactly where
they were ^vanted. We have no knowledge of how this ^vas
done, but there in Assuan — prostrate in its quarry, 25 feet
longer than ours in New York, lies an unfinished obelisk
which may one day reveal the mystery.

The first offer to the United States of an Egyptian Obelisk
came from the Khedive Ismail in 1 869 upon the occasion of

the opening of the Sue/. Canal, to William Henry Hurlbert,
later Editor of the New York World, but nothing came of it
until in 1877 after the removal of the prostrate obelisk from
Alexandria to England, when we opened negotiations for the
one left standing there and kno^vn as "Cleopatra's Needle."

liuin (, 'II tinge's EGYPTIAN OBELISKS

CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE"

IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, 1879

The Khedive wasn't keen about letting "Cleopatra's Needle"
go — it was really the most important object of antiquity in
Alexandria, whereas the one given to England had been lying
half buried at the water's edge for years — so he suggested that
in order not to excite the populace and to make things easier
for him, we take one of those from Ancient Thebes. Ho^vever,

he finally consented and we find our Consul General E. E.

Farman, -^vriting to Cherif Pacha, Minister of Foreign Affairs

in Cairo, under date of May 17th, 1879, as follows:

"Referring to the different conversations tliat I have had the honor
to have witfi your Excelfency, in which you iiave informed me that
the Government of His Higliness tiie Khedive is disposed to present to
the City of New York, to be transported and erected tliere, tlie obelisk
of Alexandria, I should be pleased if your Excellency would have the
kindness to definitely confirm in writing the gift of this moninnent,"
etc.

The reply from the Cherif came the following day to
Mr. Farman saying:

"I hasten to transmit you the assurance that the Government of
the Khedive, having taken into consideration your representations
and the desire which you have expressed in the name of the Govern-
ment of the United States of America, consents, in fact, to make a gift
to the City of New York of the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle,
which is at Alexandria on the sea shore," etc., adding that he was sure
it would prove another "pledge of the friendship that has constantly
existed between the Government of the United States and that of the
Khedive."

Following this correspondence, which was forwarded to the
Department of State in Washington, Mr. Farman was request-
ed by Secretary of State William M. Evarts, on June 13th,
1879, to make kno^vn the gratitttde of the United States saying
that:

"such a rare mark of friendship cannot but tend to still further
strengthen the amicable relations which have ever subsisted between
the two countries and will cause the memory of the Khedive to be
long and warmly cherished by the American people."

The next step was an annotincement in the Nezv York World
of June 17th, 1879, that the obelisk had been given to the
United States and the money needed to bring it here had
been provided. The place decided upon was Central Park,
and Park Commissioner at the time, Henry G. Stebbins, pro-
ceeded to call for and entertain bids for its transfer from Alex-
andria to Ne^v York, which resulted in Lieutenant-Com-
mander H. H. Gorringe, U. S. Navy, receiving the contract.
No better choice cotild have been made and perhaps our

tablet should say that "CUco[jatra's Needle" was brought here

through not only the liberality of William H. Vandcrbilt, but

the untiring efforts of Lieutenant-Commander Gorringe. But

to return to the record, here is a copy of Mr. Vanderbilt's

letter to him of August 4 th, 1879.

"Dear Sir: 1 have learned that you have, or can procure the facilities
to remove to the City of New York, the obelisk now standing at
Alexandria in Egypt, known as Cleopatra's Needle.
"As I desire that this oljelisk may be secured for the City of New York,
I make you the following proposition: If you will take down and
remove said obelisk from its present position to this City, and place it
on such site as may be selected, with my apprf)val, by the Commission-
ers of Parks, and furnish and construct at your own expense on said
site, a foundation of mason work, and granite base of such form and
dimensions as said Commissioners and myself may approve, I will, on
the completion of the whole work, pay to you seventy-five thousand
dollars," etc.

Lieutenant-Commander Gorringe's reply was short and
sweet, dated two days later, and read as follows:
"Mr. AVilliam H. Vandcrbilt

Dear Sir: I hereby acknowledge the receijn of your letter of August
4th, 1879, relating to the reinoval of the obelisk from Alexandria,
Egypt, to New York, and its erection on a site to be selected with your
approval, and I accept the proposition and the conditions named
therein. Very truly yours, [Signed:] Henry H. Gorringe

Lieut. -Comdr., U. S. N."
Now, in case I should forget to mention it later in this
article, this job actually cost over $102,000 and Mr. Vandcrbilt
sent his check for the whole amount.

With money advanced by his friend Louis F. Whitin of
New York, and a leave of absence granted by the Navy De-
partment, Gorringe started work immediately, landing in
England a month later with the idea of chartering a steamer
there. After some difficulty, the steamer "Dessoug," built in
England for the Egyptian Government and practically aban-
doned in Alexandria, was secured for some $25,000, cleaned
and refitted under the supervision of Lieutenant Seaton
Schroeder, U. S. N., while the obelisk was being lowered,
cased and made ready for the voyage. Unusual care as to stow-

age was necessary, but finally a hole was cut in the starboard
bow large enough to admit the obelisk being slid in; the ship
then hauled up to the base and the embarkation accomplished,
three weeks being needed in the operation. The "Dessoug"
was without registry, had to take on a nondescript lot of sail-
ors, experienced some rough ^veather and a broken shaft on
the ^vay over, biu ^vith good management and the Lord on

From Corr'nige's Egyptian obelisks

EMBARKING THE OBELISK

their side, reached New York safely, making the voyage from
Alexandria in 38 days. During this time the present site was
selected as being aw^ay from modern architecture, on one of
the highest knolls in the park, rather isolated yet easy of access
by the public.

Now comes the transfer from the ship to Central Park. The
pedestal did not present alarming difficulties, although, except
for the obelisk itself, it wtx^ the largest and heaviest stone ever

moved on wheels in New York, i'he route this took ^vas from
the foot of 51st Street, North River, where the "Dessoug"
docked for the purpose of unloading the pedestal, through
51st Street to 5th Avenue, up r,th Avenue to 82nd Street,
where the truck carrying it was dispensed with and the ped-
estal moved on greased skids to the site.

Then came the laying of the foundation which was exactly
as it stood in Alexandria, that is, as it relates to the position
of the pieces of stone and to the points of the compass. A
number of sealed lead boxes containing items which usually
go into cornerstones and ^\•hich may be interesting a thousand
years hence, were placed in the foundation and the last piece
before the pedestal was moved into position was a polished
cube of syenite reserved for the Masonic ceremonies, which
were very impressive and followed a parade of some 9,000
Freemasons to the site. Among the remarks of the Grand
Master ^\ere that:

This mommient Ijrings forcibly ijcforc us that period oi wfiith, at
present, we know so little and of which the researches of the scholar,
the calculation of the astronomer, the study of rocks and the skill of
the engineer, are each year adding to our information and startling us
with wonderful results. This trophy comes from that land the history
of which was long lost in the mist of ancient fable and tradition — a
land of wonderful creations of human power and genius — the birth-
place of literature, the cradle of science and art and the people of
those days excelled in many respects the ad\ anced growth of the pres-
ent century, etc. . . . Egyptians were the first to observe the course of
the planets and regulate the year from the course of the sun. The
pyramids were probably contructed not only to serve as tombs for
some monarch but also designed for astronomical purposes — their
position, exact angles as regards their situation and longitudinal lines,
together w-ith the peculiar entrances and the shadows cast into the
interiors. Every stone and every line had some allusion to something
yet to be accomplished and the exactness of calculations proves there
was nothing accidental.

After the ceremonies attendant upon the laying of the ped-
estal cornerstone, came the job of disembarking and trans-
porting the obelisk from the ship to the park. No decent deal
possible Tvith the only drydock in the city, it wrs necessary to

trade with Lawler's Marine Railway on the east shore of
Slaten Island where the unloading of the obelisk was accom-
plished without difficulty. The problem then was to load it on
pontoons, float it up the bay to the foot of 96th Street, North
River, and then unload it from the pontoons upon a landing

Photograph by N. Y. H. S.

"CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE"

IN CENTRAL PARK, 1 94O

Stage provided there. The towing was done by the steamer
"Manhattan" belonging to the Dock Department of the City
and the lifting and lowering of the obelisk was effected by
the rising and falling of the tide. Crossing the New York Cen-
tral tracks, and moving the obelisk to the park was a most diffi-

cult task, btu after all the tiouble of taking it down in Alex-
andria and bringing it safely to New York, the last leg wasn't
going to stump anyone connected with it, so although it took
from September iGth, 1880, to January 5th, 1881, to move it
10,905 feet — an average of 97 feet per day, the feat was ac-
complished without mishap and "Cleopatra's Needle" was
ready for the engineers to re-erect and place ujjon its pedestal.
The arrangements necessary to do this consumed about three
weeks but w'ith that completed the actual time from the lifting
from a horizontal to the vertical position as it now stands,
required only a few minutes. And so with the Marine Band
playing National airs, the Military presenting arms, congratu-
lations were showered upon Lieutenant-Commander Gorringe
and the obelisk after traveling 15,380 miles and taking 15
months to do it, was transplanted from Alexandria, Egypt,
to Central Park, New York.

The ceremony of formally presenting it to New York City
was fixed for February 22nd, 1881, and the New York World
of the following day reported over 20,000 people attending,
and the crush of a favorite opera night ten times intensified
show^ed how the citizens of New York valued Egypt's gift to
America. John Taylor Johnston, President of the Museum of
Art, presided. Secretary of State William M. Evarts presented
the obelisk to the City of New York for safe keeping, and
Mayor W^illiam R. Grace accepted it upon behalf of the City
saying that the generosity of the donor — the Khedive of
Egypt — ■vvas extreme and that it was sent as if to remind us
of the instability of nations, of our own youth and of the
greatness of the past. A medal was strtick off by the American
Ntimismatic Society, the legend translated being, "Let the
future profit by the lessons of the past"; and so ends this brief
memory refresher of an incident that happened some sixty
years ago in what we are pleased to call "little old Ne^v York."

George A. Zabriskie

~ 10 ~